They say that life leads you to the most expected places, in the most unexpected ways. And I believe the beginning of my advocacy work, as well as my writing career, has led me to some amazing places.
The best part is, it all began out of a strong desire to help my sister.
About eight years ago my sister was diagnosed with a very serious and very real neurological disease called, cluster headaches. Unfortunately, because there is very little medical knowledge about this condition, and because of that there are only a few avenues a person newly diagnosed with this condition can take.
Sadly, because clusters are invisible conditions, it becomes hard for someone with the condition to be believed and taken seriously. As a big sister, I wanted to do something to help in my sister’s awareness efforts.
I was becoming increasingly frustrated and angry when my sister began getting responses from others like:
“You look fine.”
“Maybe you should talk to someone.”
“It’s stress, take a couple of Motrin.”
So that’s when I decided to combine my two lifelong passions; writing and my desire for helping people and start public writing about any and all topics that are still stigmatized and are considered “taboo.”
The Start
On July 30th, 2016, I started writing my blog, The Abler. I wanted to create a place where people from all walks of life could connect, share, and most importantly be heard and believed with compassion, empathy, and sensitivity. But most importantly, talked about. The time for keeping quiet and saying, “that’s none of our business” are long gone. Especially, in this day and age with social media being such a presence in your lives. The following November, after gaining speed with the blog, very quickly. I extend my awareness efforts even further by creating a Facebook group, The Official Facebook Group Of The Abler Blog with now has over 300 members.
Since the debut of the group, The Abler now has had a growing and thriving social media presence. The newest endeavor being the podcast, The Many Faces Of The Abled. This July The Abler will be celebrating two years online. Since it’s, the debut blog has done over a dozen interviews and covered various topics including dyslexia, PCOS, and drug addiction. I would like to add that I am in no way certified with any kind of degree, and I do not consider myself a professional of any kind. I am just someone with a desire to help those in need, and I am doing my best to fill that need. I have always been a believer that personal knowledge and experience can be just as vital and important any educational experience you can have while sitting in a classroom.
And my experience in the last 36 years has been colorful, to say the least. I was born prematurely, weighing only 1 lb 6 oz. Shortly after I was born I had a brain bleed that resulted in my having Hemiplegia Spastic Cerebral Palsy. So you could say that the saying, “she believed she could, so she did.”Is quite fitting for my life’s journey just as much as it is for my advocacy and writing career. I have always been a fighter. It’s not just in my nature, but it’s in my DNA.
I simply do not know how not to fight. I know that probably sounds cliche, but it is the absolute truth, it’s part of my personal truth really. I will never ever give up on myself, the people I love, or my life’s passions. So ladies, when you feel defeated by life, PUSH THROUGH IT. Fight, and hold on for dear life for your life and your life’s purpose. Because every life has a story that needs to be said because I have no doubt someone out there will want to hear what you have to say. Stay hungry, feisty, and always keep your sword sharp and ready for battle. Because when she believed she could; she did!
Self Love Beauty writer and brand ambassador, Jessica
